Tyger Tyger Burning Bright
by TempestWolf999
Summary: The Giant War is over, and the Heroes of Olympus finally get a break. That is, until a new prophecy is issued. As campers begin to become more and more distrustful of one another, the heroes try to get to the bottom of the prophecy before it's too late. Set after Blood of Olympus. Trials of Apollo never happens. Rated T because I'm paranoid. On temporary hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, People! Before we get to the story, I have a few things to say.**

**1\. I do not own Rick's stuff, because I am not Rick. This is a disclaimer. I DON'T OWN. Got it? Good. They only thing I own is my ideas, and I ask that you don't copy them. Thanks!**

**2\. The poem that this is based on is "The Tyger" by William Blake. I am not William Blake, so I don't own the poem.**

**3\. This is set after BoO. ToA never happens, so it might not be completely canon.**

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_**Tyger Tyger Burning Bright**_

_**Chapter 1 - **_**_In what distant deeps or skies_**

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_P.o.V. - Percy_

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It wasn't that he _missed _the war, exactly.

For Hades' sake, he _hated _it when he almost gets killed. It wasn't exactly... fun.

But here he was, lying in the lake, feeling... well, he wasn't sure exactly what he felt. Percy would have said _bored, _but that wasn't it. He had plenty to do- hang out with his friends, clean the stables, climb the rock wall, etc... but he just _didn't feel like it._ No, it wasn't boredom. It was just... lack of excitement? He supposed that after spending the summer trying to save the world from Mother Earth with a few other teens he'd feel connected with them, but he found himself feeling connected with the danger as well.

Knowing that it wasn't good did nothing to change it.

Percy glanced at the sun. It was almost dinnertime. With a sigh that startled a few fish away, he swam up to the top of the lake and got out, instantly drying off. Then, he started walking toward the pavilion.

The other campers were still busy with their activities. He saw Piper and Jason sparring, dagger against gladius. They were moving so fast that all Percy could see was a blur of blades, gold and bronze.

Leo and Calypso were out by Cabin 9 with Festus. Percy really wasn't sure how he felt about Calypso's new-found freedom. He was glad for her, certainly, but he still felt guilty. He had promised to get her off of that island, and then... well, Leo had done it.

Annabeth was sure to be found with her cabin, planning Friday's game of capture the flag. He already had his alliance with her settled, along with Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Nike, Tyche, and Hades. Hermes was leading the other team, which included Zeus, Ares, Demeter, Hecate, and a few others. It would be a tough game.

Finally, the conch horn's sound rang through camp and everyone started coming up to where Percy stood. He found his place in line and got his food. Then, he walked over to the Poseidon table, where some of his friends were already seated. The rules had become way more lenient after the war. Everyone sat pretty much wherever they wanted to.

To Percy's surprise, Rachel was seated next to Annabeth and across from Piper. As far as he knew, she wasn't supposed to have arrived until next Tuesday.

He sat down next to Jason. All of the Seven, besides Frank and Hazel, were at the table, along with Rachel, Calypso, and Nico.

"Hey, Percy," Rachel said as he sat down.

"Hey, I thought you were coming next week," he said.

She frowned and mouthed, _'I'll explain later.'_ as Chiron pounded his hoof on the floor of the pavilion. The campers quieted, and Chiron began the announcements. It was the usual stuff, the upcoming capture the flag game, canoe races, and a new camper. Percy zoned out through most of it. Then,

"And the Hunters of Artemis will be arriving next week. Please try to treat them decently. To the gods!"

Everyone raised their goblets and echoed the cheer halfheartedly. Then, after making their sacrifices, they sat down to eat.

"What's so bad about the Hunters coming?" Piper asked. She'd only seen them in battle, Percy figured, so she wouldn't know about the rivalry.

"The Hunters and the campers don't exactly get along," Annabeth explained as she poked at her food. "It's an old feud. We always play capture the flag when they come, them versus all the campers. They always win. Though I wonder..."

She stared off into space, lightly drawing with her fork. _Of course_, Percy thought fondly, _she's already planning the strategies for the game._

"Well, it'll be good to see Thalia," Jason said.

Leo snorted. "Speak for yourself, Sparky. Your sister hates me."

Calypso gave him a look like, _behave, or else._ He instantly started shoveling his tacos into his mouth.

Percy snickered despite himself. "Well, me and Pinecone Face-"

"Pinecone Face and I," Annabeth corrected absently.

Percy grimaced. "Right. Well, Pinecone Face _and I _have had our differences, but we're cool. She's not really that bad. The other Hunters though-"

"Oh, they are _so _feminists," Leo said. He glanced at Calypso. "Well, not saying girls don't deserve respect, but seriously-"

"Shut up, Leo," Piper and Calypso said simultaneously. They grinned at each other.

"So, Rachel," Percy said. He noticed that she really hadn't said much yet. "What's up?"

"I had a feeling that I should come here sooner than planned, so I did. I keep getting visions," she said. Her voice seemed distant, like she wasn't completely there.

Annabeth frowned. "Anything... bad?"

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing critical. Just... unsettling."

"The spirits have been restless," Nico said.

Percy jumped. He'd forgotten that Nico was there. He could be really creepy when he wanted to be.

"What do you mean, 'restless,'" Jason asked. "I mean, spirits don't really rest, and they're usually not _calm..._"

"They sense something. I'll have to do more research."

Piper frowned, setting down her fork. "Well, I hope we don't get another prophecy. It's too soon."

"I don't think the gods would be ready for another war either," Calypso said. "They're still recovering from the one with Gaia."

People began to leave the pavilion. Once they were done eating, they got up and went down by the campfire pit. The fire wouldn't start for awhile, but it was a nice place to hang out. Chiron was there, talking with a satyr. They went around them and sat down.

"Have you seen anything in your dagger?" Annabeth asked Piper.

"Just the regular stuff, y'know, monsters, spirits... I haven't seen anything bad."

Percy almost pointed out that monsters and spirits usually meant bad, but refrained. He didn't think the comment would be welcome.

He looked around. Leo and Calypso had ran off somewhere, and were nowhere in sight. Rachel was still there, and was talking with Annabeth and Piper. Jason and Nico sat staring at the firepit. Percy walked over by them.

Jason smiled at him. "Hey, man."

"Hey," Percy replied.

Nico was holding a skeleton cat, stroking it. It was almost amusing.

"Didn't take you for a cat person," Percy said. Nico glanced at him and put the skeleton on his shoulder.

"I didn't take you for a Roman praetor."

"Former," Percy corrected.

Jason shrugged. "He has a point. I mean, you're kinda more of a Greek fighter."

Percy blinked. "I _am _Greek."

"Exactly," Nico said.

Percy shook his head. He was confused.

"So..." he said, trying to start a conversation. "You still play Mythomagic?"

Nico gave him a _What the Hades...? _look and said, "No..."

Jason adjusted his glasses. "Mythomagic?"

"A stupid card game I played as a kid," Nico said.

Percy smirked. "You mean _obsessed over?_"

"No."

People began to walk down to the fire. Chiron was no longer talking with the satyr.

Jason looked over at the fire as it got larger. "Do you think-"

Suddenly, Rachel gasped. Green smoke swirled around her. Annabeth and Piper grabbed her as she fell. She spoke in the Oracle's voice,

_Among the camp that holds the Greeks  
A morbid killer lurks and seeks  
to slay six victims one by one  
And the Martyr when the time is done.  
The traitor will then run away  
with the Murderer there to stay.  
The Hero then, if the gods bless,  
will stop the killer in their tracks.  
And then, only then, will it be revealed  
who the killer serves  
And if he yields._

As Rachel collapsed, Annabeth and Piper caught her so she wouldn't get hurt.

Chiron stood by the fire, his expression unreadable.

"Counselors meeting in the Big House now," he said calmly. "The rest of you are dismissed to your cabins for the night. Everyone goes everywhere with at least two other people. Dismissed."

The campers scurried off, and the counselors headed toward the Big House. Annabeth and Piper carried Rachel there. Percy turned to his technically-not-cousins.

"Shall we?"

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**A/N: And here's chapter one! Sorry, I know the prophecy could be _way _better, but my poetry skills are, well, nonexistent. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**TempestWolf999**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! SO sorry that it took so long for me to update. I was gone, then I was updating something else... but hey! I am updating now, so I can stop making excuses and start writing the chapter.**

**Guest: Sure! Here's another chapter! Lol. Thank you for reviewing!**

**Kaileyjoy515 & can't-think-of-a-name123: Thanks for your follows and favorites! **

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_**Tyger Tyger Burning Bright**_

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_**Chapter 2**_

_**Burnt the fire of thine eyes? **_

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P.o.V. - Piper

It wasn't the prophecy Piper was worried about.

Okay, maybe she _should _be more worried about it, but prophecies happened all the time (nowadays, anyway). They didn't necessarily mean that the world would end, or that Mother Earth was going to wake up from her eternal nap. The thing she was most worried about was the fact that the Giant War had just ended. The campers were tired. They were recovering. They needed peace.

Prophecies were not solved in a peaceful manner.

Chiron looked as if he felt the same way. He sat at the head of the ping pong table in his wheelchair, gazing at the campers sorrowfully as if he had to tell them some really tragic news. It wasn't exactly an encouraging sign.

Once everyone was seated, Chiron cleared his throat and began to speak.

"As you know, we are here to discuss the prophecy that has just been issued by the Oracle. Rachel, anything to say?"

Piper liked Rachel. She seemed cool, even though she'd been possessed and attacked Piper in Hera's cabin. But that wasn't Rachel's fault. She seemed artsy and fun.

"Uh, no. I've been having some weird visions, but nothing... y'know, critical,'' Rachel said.

Chiron nodded. "So, we know the prophecy. What will our course of action be?"

"That line, '_Among the camp that holds the Greeks'_\- that probably means Camp Half Blood," Percy said.

"The last line says _'he'_, so the killer's a guy, right?" Lou Ellen asked.

Piper frowned.

"Not necessarily," Annabeth said. "It might mean that the killer is male, but it doesn't make it certain. You know, like how sometimes when people say 'all men' and mean 'all people.'"

Travis Stoll leaned back in his chair. "Well, that certainly clears the air.''

Piper noticed Katie from the Demeter cabin kick him in the shin under the table. Travis's brother, Conner, was spraying Cheez Whiz into his mouth.

Chrion cleared his throat and gave them a look. They sat up straighter.

"There are several people given a title- Killer, Martyr, Traitor, Hero, and six victims," Jason said. "We could try to figure out who they are. Also, maybe we should put Camp Half Blood on lock down. That way nobody could come in and get hurt, and nobody could escape."

He had a good point.

"Also," Piper added, "We don't know who the killer is. It could be anyone."

Clarisse La Rue grunted. "Not _anyone._"

"Yes, _anyone_," Leo said. He held up the mini helicopter he'd made out of popcorn and Cheez Whiz. "Someone could be possessed, too. It doesn't necessarily _have _to be a psychopath."

Piper knew what he meant. Leo had been possessed by a spirit and fired on New Rome.

Annabeth nodded. "That's always a possibility, but do you have any mental health records on file, Chiron? It's still worth checking out."

Chiron frowned and shook his head. "Not for all the campers, I'm afraid. Only a select few. It would only bias people against others."

"So what do we do?" Will Solace asked.

"I think we should put camp on lock down, like Jason said. And have some sort of a buddy system," Percy said.

"Three people, right?" Piper asked as something occurred to her.

Annabeth nodded. "Right. Nobody goes anywhere alone. They have to have at least two other people with them."

"Why three?" Butch, son of Iris, asked. "Two people can protect each other just fine."

"Not if one of those people is the killer," Nico said. "Also, spirits have been upset. I doubt it's just a psycho."

Chiron frowned. "Alright, yes. Percy, you, Jason, and Nico should sleep in the same cabin. Everyone, assign groups of three. We'll talk on this more later. Get some rest. You're dismissed."

When Piper left the Big House, she didn't exactly feel reassured. She went over all the people in her cabin once, trying to figure out who would go best in the groups. Drew could go with Hanna and Jacob. Lacey and Michael could go with Sean. That left four more campers. She thought on it. Maybe they'd have to have a group of four?

"Hey, Beauty Queen."

She jumped as Leo fell into step with her.

"Oh, gods, Leo, you scared me."

He smirked. "I have been called _many_ things, Piper- handsome, awesome, hot... but scary? That's a first."

She playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "So, what about Calypso? She doesn't have a cabin."

Leo frowned. "She'll be staying in the Hermes cabin- not too excited about that. She isn't, I mean. There are some other unclaimed kids, but..." he shrugged.

Piper nodded in understanding. She glanced at the cabins as they passed them, They seemed dark and foreboding instead of beautiful. It was sad, really, and scary. She didn't know what she'd do if one of the Aphrodite kids was killed.

They reached the Ares cabin, and Piper left Leo on his own. Then she walked across past the Artemis cabin to cabin 10. _Artemis. _Oh, they forgot that the Hunters were coming. She'd have to bring that up tomorrow.

Once inside the cabin, she called everyone together. They sat around her like children waiting for a story.

"Alright," she said. "I'm going to assign groups of three. You never go anywhere without at least the two or more members of your group. Got it?"

Lacey nodded vigorously.

"Okay. Lacey, Michael, and Sean. You three are a group. Drew, Hanna, Jacob, and Cecelia. Um, Rebekah, Sara, and James. That means Rae and Julie are with me. Do I need to write it down, or do you got it?"

"Got it," Michael muttered.

She nodded. "Alright, then. Lights out. I'm writing it down anyway."

She used an eyeliner pen to write the rules and groups down on the back of a discarded poster. Then she taped it to the door. Turning off the lights, she got into bed and soon fell asleep.

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**A/N: Alright, so I'm hoping to make chapters a bit longer than this, but we'll see what happens. **

**Thank you all for reading!  
**

**Please review!**

**TempestWolf999**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everone! Thanks to all my reviewers, followers, etc. Your support is much appreciated.**

**Shout outs:**

**FutureFamousAuthor: ****Well, here I am again. Glad you find it interesting. If I told you who the killer was and who was going to die, that would spoil the surprise, so... nice try!**

**Warning: There are descriptions of a murdered person. Blood and gore. It's not that bad, in my opinion, but if it bothers you, I'll write who dies on the AN at the bottom and how, without it. **

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_**Tyger Tyger Burning Bright**_

_**Chapter 3 - **_**_On what wings dare he aspire? _**

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_P.o.V. - Jason_

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The minute they heard the scream, they knew something was wrong.

Nico looked up sharply. "Someone is dying."

And with that, they all jumped to their feet from the breakfast table and started running in that general direction.

"Nico, can you locate them?" Percy asked.

Nico seemed slightly offended. "Of _course _I can locate a corpse."

Jason hated how he said 'corpse' and not 'person.'

They were lead to the showers, where the first victim was sprawled out on the grass. Percy made a choked sound.

"That's Katie Gardner, Demeter cabin counselor," he said. Then , he took out two drachmas and glanced at Annabeth, unsure. "I'm not sure exactly what to do here..."

Annabeth took the coins and checked Katie's pulse. Then, after shaking her head, she closed Katie's lifeless, wide eyes and placed the coins on them. "May she have a quiet trip to Elysium," she chanted under her breath, "And may she rest in peace."

Jason winced. "Oh gods..."

By this time, Chiron and some of the other campers had arrived.

Nico knelt down next to the body as if he was used to this kind of thing. "She's been dead about 15 minutes- pallor mortis has set in. Cause of death is rather obvious. Definitely not suicide."

He was right. The cause of death was rather obvious. Out of Katie's back stuck a dagger. It was stuck in all the way to the hilt, and some blood had crusted and dried on the handle.

Next to Jason, Chiron sighed heavily. "Who was supposed to be with her?"

Miranda from the Demeter cabin said, "Nobody, Chiron. We didn't have enough people, so she said she'd be fine."

"Well, that worked out well for you," Nico said dryly. Jason wanted to kick him for being so insensitive. Miranda burst into tears.

Chiron frowned. "Everyone, go back to the pavilion and stay seated at your table. I want those of you who found her to stay here."

Jason, Piper, Percy, Nico, and Annabeth stayed behind. Everyone else left.

"This is how you found her?" Chiron asked.

"Except for the eyes, yeah," Piper said. She walked over to Jason and held his hand. He could see that she was avoiding the body and refusing to look at it. She was trying to stay strong. He squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"She knew the killer was there, and wasn't alarmed," Annabeth said, looking Chiron firmly in the eyes. "It was definitely one of the campers."

"One of the campers who is under five feet in height," Nico added.

"What?" Percy asked.

Jason saw what they meant. The footprints faced each other. The depth of them said that they'd stood and talked for a bit, then the killer walked behind Katie and stabbed her. He shivered. It was terrible.

"Cause of death is blood loss, right?" Piper asked. Her gaze was still firmly planted on not the body. The only thing Jason could smell was blood.

"No," Nico said. He lifted the head and examined it.

"Did she-" Annabeth started.

"Yeah."

Annabeth winced. "Oh, gods... that's bad."

"_What?_" Percy asked. He seemed exasperated.

"She choked on her blood and vomit," Nico said.

Piper flinched.

Chiron sighed again. "Well, I'll have someone bring her to the infirmary whilst we make her shroud. You all go back up to the pavilion."

They started walking. Nobody said anything. There really wasn't anything to say.

They reached the pavilion and walked over to their usual table. Leo and Calypso were sitting there with Rachel.

"Hey," Piper said as they sat down. Jason noticed that her face was sheet white, like Katie's had... no, he wasn't going to go there.

"Hey," Leo said. He actually sounded serious for once. "Are you guys okay?"

"No," Percy said.

"Oh."

"Have the Romans been notified yet?" Rachel asked.

"No, we were gonna have a meeting today and IM Reyna," Jason replied.

"This is bad," Calypso said.

"Very," Annabeth agreed. "They only place where things could possibly be worse right now is Tartarus."

Percy winced. "Let's not go there."

"What's pallor mortis?" Piper asked.

"First stage of death. It's an after-death paleness that happens to people with light skin," Annabeth said.

"Algor mortis has probably set in now," Nico said.

"I seriously don't want to know," Jason said.

Chiron returned to the pavilion looking grim. The clear sky seemed foreboding and ominous, not nearly as cheerful as it should.

"Heroes," He called. Everyone paid rapt attention. "Everyone goes to their cabin. Now. Counselor's meeting. If there are two or less of you in a cabin, go into a different one. Miranda, you are now counselor of the Demeter cabin. Dismissed."

Jason was really beginning to hate counselors' meetings.

Everyone was grim and somber. Miranda was crying openly, as was Travis Stoll.

"You know why we are here," Chiron said gently.

"Oh, yeah, I know," Travis said hysterically. His voice was shrill and his eyes were wild. "We're here because one of the flowers by the lake wilted. Oh, wait! No, we're here because Clarisse forgot to sharpen her sword. Wait... no, that's not right... oh, yeah! We're here because my girlfriend _was just brutally murdered!_"

"Travis, please calm down," Chiron said softly.

"_CALM DOWN!? _You want me to be-"

Clovis touched him on the shoulder and he immediately slouched.

Chiron sighed and looked around. "Oh, Ellisia, you're here. Where's Will?"

Ellisia was a daughter of Apollo. She smiled grimly. "He's in the infirmary. You know..."

Chiron nodded.

"So, why are we here?" Percy asked.

Jason felt like facepalming.

"The campers will be paranoid and scared," Chiron said. "You need to try to calm them down. Also, make sure that our rule of three is obeyed, yes? Now, we have to IM the Romans. I tried to contact the Hunters, but wasn't able to, so we may have to deal with that."

He took out some drachmas and made some mist, then threw the coins in. Soon after, Reyna was contacted. Hazel and Frank were there as well.

"I'll let the Romans know. Any ideas on the killer?" Reyna asked.

Chiron sighed. "It was a camper, I'm afraid."

Frank frowned.

Travis chose that moment to wake up. "What-"

Connor smacked him in the head and he collapsed again.

"Is he okay?" Hazel asked.

Chiron nodded absently, deep in thought.

"Alright then," Frank said, "We'll make the announcement at dinner tonight."

Chiron nodded. "Good."

Reyna swiped through the mist with her hand, and all was quiet.

"What now?" Jason asked.

"Get some sleep," Chiron advised. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

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**A/N: Katie dies from a dagger to the back.**

**So, thoughts or comments? Please review!**

**TW999**


	4. Chapter 4

**So...**

**I'm back. And I took forever. So sorry about that... **

**Shout outs:**

**ReadingReader: ****Yeah, I do (try to) write stories. Usually I'm more regular with updates, but life has been crazy recently. ****I hope you like this. I couldn't judge you if I wanted to because I often stay up until 2-3 in the morning reading fanfics. Or I'll almost fall asleep, then get an idea and have to get up and write it... And you caught the poetry thing. *wink wink* Good for you, didn't know if anyone would.**

**FutureFamousAuthor108: Thanks! Yep. Can't tell you who it is though... I wonder who you suspect. Honestly, I'm curious on what people are getting from this, so please. Tell me your ideas. I'm honored that people are finding my stuff interesting. I never even expected people to read my stuff. I'll try for longer chapters.**

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**_Tyger Tyger Burning Bright_**

**_Chapter 4 - _****_What the hand, dare seize the fire? _**

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_P.o.V. - Annabeth_

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It was sad, but really, she was used to campers dying. First, it had been Thalia. Of course, she had come back to life, but she remembered the grief she'd felt. Then there were all the demigods they'd failed to rescue from monsters, the ones who'd gone on quests and never returned, and the ones who'd died in the war. It was a regular occurrence.

_Murder,_ on the other hand, was not.

The was Katie had been killed- it wasn't planned beforehand. It had been planned as soon as the killer had seen Katie alone. They'd talked as friends would, at ease and comfortable. Then the killer had stabbed her and left her for dead.

Annabeth had seen how much it had affected the others. Poor Percy- he'd looked dazed, at a loss of what to do. Piper had seemed sick. Jason had looked as pale as the corpse itself. Nico had analyzed the body. He was used to death, she supposed. She had done it, too. It hadn't been pretty. The killer wasn't sane, that much was obvious.

She definitely wasn't the kind of person that got scared easily. Spiders were her weakness, sure, but everything else she faced head on. This though... the fact that one of her fellow campers, someone who'd she'd grown up with, could be a psychopathic killer, it made her feel claustrophobic and anxious.

The thing that scared her most was that the killer was clever. They'd been able to cover their tracks. Her siblings were like that- scarily intelligent. She was worried that they'd be blamed- or worse, be guilty. There were other intelligent people at camp, of course, but the Athena kids were known for it.

With that in mind, wishing for something happier to think about, Annabeth stared at the ceiling of the Athena cabin waiting for the conch horn to go off, signaling breakfast. She had been watching the sun rise through the window since three in the morning, and was tired of just sitting there. She didn't get much sleep those days- too many bad memories. It wasn't PTSD, far from it, in fact. But the things she and other demigods went through... those things couldn't just be forgotten.

Now her dreams were filled with the shocked face of Katie Gardiner.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Annabeth's siblings began to stir. Malcolm had made eye contact with her as soon as he'd woken; a worried expression that said, _'Is everyone okay?'_ She saw him do a quick head count, then relax. He was on edge. They all were.

Once everyone was up, she slipped out of bed and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. Everyone looked at her.

"Alright, it's six o'clock now, guys. Breakfast is at 7:30. We're going to hit the showers; I have permission. I want to know who everyone is going with."

Once everyone was in groups of three, she let all but the groups she and Malcolm were in go.

"Malcolm," she said, grabbing his shoulder. "Watch them, okay? If you see anyone there that shouldn't be there, let Chiron and I know right away."

He nodded, meeting her eyes. "Of course."

She nodded and let him go, grabbed some clothes, and led her group to the showers. They took turns showering, then went back to the cabin before breakfast.

Doing a quick head count, Annabeth was relieved to find everyone present. She took a book off the shelf, _The Iliad_, and read until the conch horn went off. Then, she led her cabin to breakfast.

After seeing that everyone was at a table, she went to Percy's table and sat by him. Piper, Jason, and Leo were already there. Jason and Leo were arguing with Leo about something, and Piper was watching, seemingly amused.

"What is it this time?" Annabeth asked.

Piper just grinned.

"Annabeth! Tell Leo that it's not good for him to have a double-shot espresso this early in the morning!" Percy pleaded, exasperated.

Jason stared at her imploringly with a serious expression that was completely ruined by the was his glasses were crooked on his face, and Leo smiled calmly and took a drink from his cup.

Annabeth glanced at Piper, who shrugged.

"Well, that much caffeine isn't good for you any time, Leo," she said.

He shrugged. "Hera used to drink a mug of black coffee in the mornings when she pretended to be my babysitter."

Annabeth grinned. Percy choked on his blue orange juice.

"Yeah," Piper argued, "But Hera's a goddess. You're not. Since when did you drink coffee, anyway?"

"Since I started pulling all-nighters on the _Argo II,_" he replied.

"Right," Jason said. "So, are you hyper all the time from the coffee or does the coffee just add to it?"

Leo shook his head. "Naw, man, I just need it this morning 'cause Harley kept me up all night asking questions. He's scared."

Piper nodded in sympathy, but stole the mug from him anyway.

"Hey!"

"Shh! Chiron's talking," Jason snapped.

Leo glared at him, but shut up all the same.

"Attention heroes! The Capture the Flag game has been canceled. No contact has been made with the Hunters, so as far as we know, they'll be showing up in a few days."

The campers groaned.

"Furthermore," Chiron continued, "The canoe races will go on, as well as regular activities. Make sure that you are with at least two other people at all times. Thank you. To the gods!" he raised his goblet.

The campers repeated the cheer halfheartedly and went back to eating.

"So, does anyone remember the prophecy?" Jason asked.

_"Among the camp that holds the Greeks  
A morbid killer lurks and seeks  
to slay six victims one by one  
And the Martyr when the time is done.  
The traitor will then run away  
with the Murderer there to stay.  
The Hero then, if the gods bless,  
will stop the killer in their tracks.  
And then, only then, will it be revealed  
who the killer serves  
And if he yields," _Annabeth recited. She hadn't even realized that she'd memorized it; it was a force of habit.

"Right," Leo said. "So six more people are gonna die. The other five, and whoever this Martyr person is, unless Katie was the Martyr."

"I don't think so," Piper said.

Annabeth nodded. "A martyr is someone who is killed for what they believe. Katie wasn't."

"Or it could be _martur,_ Greek for witness," Nico said, walking over to the table.

Jason nodded to him in greeting and said, "He could be right. But Katie wasn't either of those, so we can rule that out as a possibility."

"What about the traitor and the hero?" Percy asked. "And why would there be a prophecy about a psycho demigod?"

Piper shook her head. "This is twisted."

Annabeth agreed.

After breakfast, they went off to do camp activities. Annabeth taught a weapon's class with Percy, climbed the rock wall (twice), and watched the canoe races (Percy won), but nothing felt normal. It was like there was a cloud of tension was hanging over camp.

"You okay?"

Annabeth jumped.

Ellisia, daughter of Apollo, was standing next to her with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, just thinking," she replied.

Ellisia nodded. "Good. It seemed like you might have heat stroke or something for a second there." She pushed her blond hair behind her ear.

"No, I'm fine," Annabeth said. "How's everyone in your cabin?"

"They're... tense. Will is busy all the time with nervous breakdowns and anxiety attacks as well as the regular physical injuries, so I kind of have to stand in for him. Everyone's just..."

"Scared," Annabeth supplied. "Understandably, too. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

Ellisia's blue eyes shone with pity. She stared off into the distance. "Yeah... It's bad. Very bad."

Annabeth nodded.

"Well, I have to go to archery. See you," Ellisia said. Annabeth nodded and watched her run off. Then, she went to the stables, where she was pretty sure she'd find Percy.

She was right.

Percy was just finishing up the last stall in the stables when Annabeth got there. He looked up at her and grinned as she walked in.

"Hey, Wise Girl."

She nodded. "Seaweed Brain."

He grabbed a bale of hay and put it in the stall, then filled the trough with water by making it come directly out of the hose line into the stall. Annabeth rolled her eyes. Lou Ellen, Cecil, and a son of Ares were working on the other stalls.

"Well, I'm done," Percy said. "We can go on a ride, if you want."

Annabeth shook her head. "Three person rule, remember? We have to set an example."

Percy pouted. "You mean Blackjack and Porkpie don't count as people?"

"They're pegasi. That't bending the rules."

Percy frowned. "I can IM Jason or Piper or-"

"Okay."

To her surprise, he IMed Leo out of all the people he could have called. When he saw the look on her face, he smiled and said, "Leo doesn't have much practice. It's an important skill. And I'm sure he's bringing Calypso. Same story with her."

She nodded.

Soon, both of them showed up.

Annabeth frowned. "You two were with someone, right? You have to set an example."

Leo rolled his eyes. "We were with Nico, and you called just as he was going off to find Piper and Jason. Relax, it's cool."

Calypso rolled her eyes at him rolling his eyes.

Percy got each of them a pegasi, and they mounted and took off into the sky. Leo almost fell a total of 16 times. By the time they landed, it was almost time for dinned.

Leo stared at the ground. "I am never doing that again," he said. "Only dragons for me. And bronze ones, at that."

"Oh, come on, it was easy," Calypso chided.

Percy looked at her with an _'I can't believe them' _expression. She just nodded in agreement. She couldn't decide if Leo and Calypso argued like children or an old married couple. Maybe it was both.

The conch horn blew, and they all went to dinner together. Annabeth saw Chiron counting each person as they came in, looking relieved once he saw that everyone was there. She felt the same way.

Dinner was quieter than usual. Nobody really talked, and if they did, it was just whispers. They made their sacrifices, ate, then went straight to bed. There was no campfire.

As she laid in her bed, Annabeth thought about everything that had happened, trying to get her facts straight. They got a strange prophecy, then Katie was killed. It had been murder. A dagger had been used. Katie had been comfortable around whoever the killer was. The killer was short, and had been wearing boots. The dagger had had dried blood on the handle, which had been leather. The knife had been made of... silver? Iron? Bronze? She couldn't remember. She'd have to ask tomorrow.

She stared at the ceiling, watching as the light slowly faded away.

Night was when the monsters lurked in the shadows, and the killer was a monster of a person. She hoped that everyone would be sensible enough to evade it that night, and always.

Unfortunately, prophecies never lied. More people would die.

It was just a matter of _when._

* * *

**A/N: So, this one's longer. I hope you liked it.**

**Please tell me your thoughts.**

**TW999**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am a terrible author, waiting so long to update like this. So sorry...**

**Shout outs:**

**ReadingReader: Suspense is good... :)**

**FutureFamousAuthor108: I love ****it when people love my stuff. I'm terrible at checking my stuff, so sorry for the errors in grammar. Here is the next chapter!**

**Warning: Slightly graphic stuff ahead. Blood and gore. You were warned.**

* * *

**_Tyger Tyger Burning Bright_**

**_Chapter 5- _****_And what shoulder, & what art_**

* * *

_P.o.V. - Leo_

* * *

Leo didn't like surprises. He hated them, in fact. He always liked things to be predictable, like his machines and inventions. If he knew what would happen, he could act on it the right way. If not... well, he couldn't. That was why his relationship with Calypso was so hard. She was human; she had emotions. Emotions were unpredictable. His own emotions even surprised him at times. It just wasn't his area.

But what Leo was staring at in horror at that moment was the worst surprise he had ever received. Ever. And even worse, the Hunters were due to arrive the next day. That was bad. But back to the surprise: it was a body. And it was hanging from a tree, swinging back and forth, seemingly levitating. He knew it wasn't, of course. It was connected to the bottom branch by a thin steel cable. But still. He'd almost screamed.

He had simply opened the door to the cabin when he got up to see what it was like outside. That was it. And what had he received?

_This, children,_ Leo thought bitterly, _is why we don't open doors without asking first._

Leo, in all honesty, thought that he was in shock. He wasn't reacting right. He should have screamed. Instead, he'd stifled the scream and slammed the door, which woke up Nyssa.

Nyssa had hissed/shouted "What the _Hades?_" which had woken up Jake Mason. Jake Mason had fallen out of bed and hit the floor with a loud crash, which had woken Harley. Harley had yelped as he sat up which woke up everyone else.

That led to everyone in the cabin staring at Leo. Leo smiled impishly and waved, doing a quick head count. Everyone was present.

"Alright, everyone..." Leo said slowly. "Do NOT open the door. I have to use the bathroom."

Then, without waiting for any responses, Leo grabbed a sack of drachmas and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He then turned on the sink, made some mist, and IMed Chiron, who still had curlers in his tail because it was so early in the morning.

"Hi Chiron."

"Leo..."

"There's been another one."

Chiron seemed to have aged a few hundred years on the spot. "Oh dear," he sighed.

"Yeah..."

"Don't let anyone leave your cabin."

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Good. Wait 'till I come to get you." With that, the centaur swiped through the mist and Leo turned off the sink. He grabbed his sack of drachmas and opened the door, walking out. After doing a quick head count, he noticed that everyone was still present. They all stared at him.

_Oh, great, _he thought. _Now you've done it, Leo, drawing attention to yourself like that._

They were still staring, so he did the only logical thing that there was to do.

"Alright, people, I _know_ that you guys want to stare at me all day, but I have stuff to do. Nobody leaves the cabin. _¿Lo entiendes?_"

Everyone blinked and went back to whatever they were doing before. About five minutes later, Chiron showed up and Leo went out to meet him. He didn't have any curlers in his tail.

Leo and Chiron walked over to the tree where the body was hanging. It wasn't a pretty sight.

He recognized the body- it was Zeke O'Keefe, one of the more tolerable Ares kids who actually used manners. He was Leo's age- due to turn sixteen in a few weeks. He had told Leo about the party his mom had planned for him while Leo had sharpened his sword. And now... he was dead.

Leo felt sick. A thin wire was wrapped twice around Zeke's neck. It had cut deep into the skin, probably slicing right through the veins. A few other wires held his ankles and his waist. Blood was dripping off of the wire and out of Zeke's mouth. There was a puddle of red underneath him. His head hung loosely and was free to move around freely as the body swung gently in the breeze making a creaking sound.

Zeke's skin was pale; way too pale for someone who worked out outside all day. He looked stiff, like he'd been thrown into a deep freezer and couldn't move at all. Of course, he couldn't- he was dead.

Chiron and Leo stood in silence for a few minutes. Then, Chiron said, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Child. We should get some others- come with me."

They walked to cabin 3- the Poseidon cabin. Percy, Nico, and Jason were all sleeping there, probably because it was the least creepy out of the three. Cabin 1 had a hippie Zeus, and cabin 13 was death themed. Leo would have gone with sea shells and hippocampi too.

Chiron knocked on the door, and Jason answered, stepping out and leaving the door cracked open a bit. "Percy and Nico are still sleeping. What is it?"

"Someone died," Leo said. Jason paled.

"I need the three of you to come with to help with the body," Chiron said gently. "We could stop and get someone from cabin seven, or we could just bring him to the infirmary."

"We shouldn't get anyone else," Jason said. "I'll get Nico and Percy."

A few minutes later, the five of them were standing by the body. Chiron had gone to get a pen and paper to write down the details of the body so that the Apollo kids didn't have to as much.

"Cause of death is blood loss, and asphyxiation," Chiron said, writing quickly in Greek. "Four lacerations caused by-"

"Five," Nico interrupted, "And a blunt force trauma to the head."

Chiron studied the body again, nodded, and wrote more stuff down.

Leo stared at Zeke. There was blood everywhere, and flies had begun to swarm. It smelled rancid- like rotten meat. Jason was pale, and looked sort of sick, but was climbing up the tree to undo the wires. Percy and Nico were at Zeke's head and feet.

"Grab the waist, Leo," Percy said. Leo obeyed, and as soon as Jason cut the wires, Zeke's dead weight fell onto their shoulders. Chiron laid a stretcher out on the grass, and they set the body onto it.

"Did you see how the wires were tied?" Leo suddenly blurted out.

"What?"

"The wires- They must have tied him up on the ground, then used the branch like a pulley system. The wires were tied to the lowest branch, but the wire went over one of the higher ones."

Chiron nodded slowly. "More proof that the killer was under five feet. This is unsettling. Could you help me close off this area before breakfast?"

Leo's stomach clenched. He was definitely _not _hungry.

"Yeah," Percy said.

They closed off the area so that none of the blood could be seen, then taken showers. After that, they were sent back to their cabins before breakfast.

"Can I go with them?" Leo asked.

Chiron stared at him.

"Nyssa can bring the cabin for breakfast. I'll IM her. Please?"

Chiron sighed in consent, and the four of them went back to Percy's cabin. Leo Iris Messaged his half sister, then joined his friends on the floor.

"So..." Percy said.

Jason sighed. "That kid- what was he thinking, going out alone?"

Percy shook his head. A skeleton cat went and curled up on Nico's lap. Leo decided not to comment.

"That's two," Leo said. "That means five people are still scheduled to die."

Percy shook his head. "That's five too many."

"Yeah," Jason said, "But how do we stop him?"

"We have to catch him first," Nico said, stroking the cat.

"And how do we do that?" Leo asked.

Percy's eyes suddenly lit up and he burst out grinning.

_Oh, no,_ Leo thought, _Here it comes. Percy's got an idea. He's gonna explode in 5... 4... 3... 2... _

''We'll need Annabeth's help, but we could set a trap! You know, like in the movies. We set someone out as bait- they voulenteer, of course- and then when the murderer comes to get them, we can ambush him!"

_And 1,_ Leo thought.

"That's dangerous," Jason warned.

Leo snorted. "So is fighting monsters for a living, bro. I mean seriously..."

"It could work," Nico mused. The cat was perched on his shoulder now.

"Great!" Percy beamed. "We can talk about it at breakfast."

Leo wondered offhandedly if this was their belated adrenaline rush.

Soon after that, the conch horn's sound rang out through Camp, and the four friends hiked up to the pavilion for breakfast.

* * *

**Okay, we have some developments here...**

**So, what do you think? I'll tell you what. For every review I get, I'll put one hint in the next chapter. You want hints? Then review!**

**TW999**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys... *Slowly walks out into the open where readers are standing.* Now, I know I've been terrible at updating recently. Please don't kill me. I have just been _super_ busy. I've been binge watching Stranger Things, dealing with family stuff and a dead computer... You know how it is. Just think: if you kill me now, how are you going to find out what's going to happen?**

**Also, the review thing. Oh dear. I got 4 reviews! Thanks guys. I had looked at the thing and saw how many readers I had, then saw that there were about 2 reviews each chapter from the same people (Shout out to you guys :)). I wanted to see what people thought, so I offered confidential information. I'd be a terrible politician or governmental agent of any kind. Here are your four hints:**

**1\. I prefer not to use OCs. It bothers me. So, I made the killer one of Riordan's characters.**

**2\. The Martyr has not been killed yet.**

**3\. The Traitor is female.**

**4\. The Hero is one of the Seven.**

**Shout outs:**

**Guest: ****Here I am again, still going. Glad you like it!**

**ReadingReader: Here is info. "****Things we both like apparently: sarcasm inexcusable excuses, irony (especially the dramatic kind, a kind of suspense), suspense. Am I missing any?" Yep. Apparently we both like murder stories as well. :P  
****The ratio of reviewers was about 1/100, and I wanted to see what people thought. I write for fun, but when there's a ratio like that... I want to know what people are thinking. I didn't want to hold the chapter hostage, so I did that. It worked apparently. :)  
****Aw, thanks. "Would it count if you just did a bunch on our own?" Maybe, depending on how man you did... I can't give away too much.**

**Releqah: ****I'm happy you like it!**

** FutureFamousAuthor108: Thanks for the review! You'll see...**

* * *

**_Tyger Tyger Burning Bright_**

**_Chapter 6 - _****_Could twist the sinews of thy heart? _**

* * *

_P.o.V. - Percy_

* * *

He knew that the others hadn't taken his plan seriously, but he didn't expect much else. They looked to him for jokes or skill or power, but plans? That was more of Annabeth or Jason's thing.

Annabeth, however, had agreed to it and they began preparations immediately.

"How do we do it?" Percy had asked.

Annabeth had given him her 'you really should know this' look and said, "A trap consists of several parts: the bait, the actual trap, and what or whoever you are trying to catch. We need to take all these factors into account and then go from there."

Percy nodded slowly. "Okay, so what or who are we trying to catch? The killer."

Annabeth nodded in approval. "Right, but how do they think? How do they attack?"

"The victim is familiar with them. It's a friendly face. Once the victim turns their back, the killer strikes."

"So we can't rule out sadism or any other psychological disorders. Okay. We know the killer is smart, too."

Percy nodded solemnly, his hair bouncing in his eyes. "That's scary. Okay, so the trap. What do we do for that?"

Annabeth grinned. "I might just have an excellent idea for that."

** Time skip: about fifteen minutes (give or take). **

Percy stared at the landscape in front of him for about thirty solid seconds (impressive, for him). Then he stared at Annabeth, then again back at the scene. "You might have just lost your mind, Wise Girl," he finally decided. "What exactly are we doing at _the amphitheater, _of all places?"

His girlfriend rolled her eyes. "Percy, there's a reason why you think it's a bad idea to set it up here. A good one at that, believe it or not-"

"Hey!"

"-but that's exactly why it's perfect. We send our bait down here tonight and wait for the killer to make his or her move. They won't suspect anything because this isn't the ideal place to set a trap. It's too closed off."

"What do we use for bait?" Percy asked.

"A demigod."

"Yeah, I know. I meant 'who' do we use instead of- you know what I mean."

Annabeth smirked, "Yeah. We'll use someone who they wouldn't expect to work with us. Someone who hates us."

Percy thought for awhile. "A Hunter?"

"No, Clarisse, Seaweed Brain. Come on. She should be at the training arena right about now."

She began jogging off on that direction. Percy stared after her. Clarisse? Was she possessed? But then again, it made sense. With a shrug, he quickly ran to catch up with her.

Clarisse must have been in a good mood. A _really _good mood. She didn't threaten Percy with death, only torture. He took this as a good sign.

She squinted at them from underneath her sparring helmet and grunted. "What do you punks want?"

"To talk," Annabeth said. "Privately."

The daughter of Ares stared at them warily for awhile, but then consented.

"Alright, fine. But this better be quick, or you'll be seeing Hades sooner than you expected."

So much for no death threats.

They told Clarisse of their plan, and what they hoped to be her role in it. Annabeth explained how she was the best candidate because of her ability to defend herself. Clarisse had glared and said, "Like Zeke?" That topic was dropped immediately.

Eventually, Clarisse gave in after several hundred bribes and three hundred twenty seven death threats. They bid her good day and she left.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Percy asked.

"No," Annabeth admitted, "But it's our best chance. We can't just let ourselves be sitting ducks."

"Do you think it's just a crazy demigod?"

She paused. "No, but that's just my opinion."

Percy took this in and nodded. "Alright. Well, we better get some lunch. I'm starving."

"No, if you were starving, you wouldn't have eaten in-"

"Race you to the pavilion!"

"Hey!"

* * *

**A/N: Hi... I feel so bad guys. I meant to update sooner, but then stuff happened and I got sick and other stuff happened and now I'm on a TEMPORARY hiatus... **

**Seriously. I'm sorry.**

**And this chapter is short. Really short. Sorry...**

**So the review thing is no longer in effect, but please do tell me what you think. It means more than you know.**

**I'll try to get off of hiatus soon, but life sucks. I will see ye all again, I promise!**

**Till next time,**

**TempestWolf999**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! Welcome to chapter 7!**

**Okay, so first of all: my publishing is gonna be really slow for a while. Bear with me... **

**Reviews/Favorites/Follows are very much appreciated!**

**Shout outs:**

**FutureFamousAuthor108: I'm so glad you like it! I could tell you who it is, but I won't... I'll update as much as I can, but it'll probably be slow.**

** gmythgirl: Beta a review? Well... 'Pleeeeease' isn't a word technically and 'somehow...' isn't a sentence, but other than that, you're pretty good. Now, what did Clovis ever do to you? I'll take it into consideration... Glad you and your friend like it! **

**A Reviewer: Yeah, that chapter was short. They should be longer in the future.**

* * *

_Tyger Tyger Burning Bright _

_Chapter 7 - And when thy heart began to beat_

* * *

P.o.V. - The Traitor

* * *

She knew that it wasn't right, and she hated her conscience for gnawing away at her spine for it.

She felt unfaithful. Treasonous.

And in the deepest depths of her mind, she knew she loved it.

She enjoyed the thrill of being a rebel- of being a double-crosser without anybody knowing it.

When she thought about it, she wasn't a traitor; not really. It wasn't like she was assisting the enemy. She was just... withholding information. People did that all the time. She didn't see it as information that was crucial to the investigation (which doesn't mean it wasn't). It was mediocre. And it pointed straight towards someone she knew was innocent because there was no way in _Hades _that the person in question could be a cold-blooded killer.

_No way in Hades._

She lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling, considering all these things as well as the courses of action she could take. It was a talent of hers- coming up with a lot of possible explanations for something.

As she stared, she could feel her heart throbbing in her chest. In the corners of her mind, she could almost hear a voice whispering to her.

_You don't have to tell them anything._

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_They'll do fine on their own._

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_You should run away._

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_Just in case._

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_Because there's a fraction of a chance, my dear-_

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_Just a fraction of a chance-_

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_That there might be blood on your hands._

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-Thump._

The voice whispered on, it's voice soft and yet menacing at the same time. It was like a panther, sleek and calm with its claws at her throat. She could practically feel its hot, animalistic breath on her face as it stared at her, waiting for Nemesis to come and pay her for her deeds.

Her heart rate accelerated. The last thing she remembered before she drifted off into the realm of Hypnos was the voice whispering again in a gleeful sing-song voice:

_It's going to happen again, darling! And do you know what? You could have prevented it!_

_But now, oh no, my dear- now, I'm afraid,_

_It's too late._

* * *

**A/N: So, I thought I'd try something a bit different this time. What did you think? I'm sorry, I know it's super short, but I'm up late if that helps any. I need to sleep now...**

**So, updates will be slow but I do hope to update soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**TW999**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! **

**Big thanks to all my reviewers. This chapter is dedicated to my good friends ****FutureFamousAuthor108**** and ****gymythgirl223****. Be sure to check out their stories if you haven't already!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

* * *

Tyger Tyger Burning Bright

_Chapter 8 - What dread hand? & what dread feet?_

* * *

P.o.V. - Piper

* * *

The day didn't start well.

First, Drew had drawn a mustache with a mascara pen on Lucy's face, which had pretty much caused an all-out prank war in cabin 10. Then, once she'd woken up a bit, Piper realized that the Hunters were due to arrive today. With a groan, she grabbed her hairbrush and began to work out the knots until she saw the paint that was on it. She was able to draw some conclusions on how it happened based on the snickers coming from the corner.

After showering, her cabin was late to breakfast and as a result, got KP duty. As she ate her oatmeal, she noticed Michael talking to Connor Stoll, son of Hermes. He was probably looking for ideas for some new pranks.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

Ellisia, daughter of Apollo, came and sat next to her. "Is there a reason why your cabin seems... off today?"

Piper grimaced, "Prank war. Pray for me."

Ellisia winced in sympathy. "At least your brother didn't put a curse on you that made it so everything you said rhymes."

Piper moved her hand in a frantic motion. "Don't say things like that out loud! The tables have ears."

They shared a laugh until announcements and then parted ways to go to their respective activities.

The Hunters arrived soon after breakfast, which caused general chaos throughout the camp. Piper went and found Jason and stayed with him to avoid getting trampled. Once people start to panic, it didn't matter if you had saved the world from a primordial or you got a job working at McDonald's. If you were in the way, you got crushed underfoot.

But, Piper supposed, the campers had a valid reason to panic. The Hunters' arrival meant an ideal time for the killer to either strike or get away. Both were terrible options. The killer belonged behind lock and key, or perhaps in a mental asylum.

Glancing around, Piper saw that the campers had no intention of calming down. They were picking fights with the Hunters, protesting _very_ loudly, and causing a riot. It had to stop. She looked over at Jason, on whose wrist she had a death grip. He looked both determined and distressed at the same time- determined to calm everyone down and distressed because he was used to leading the Romans who were meticulously disciplined and functional. His face was creased in focus and his glasses were slightly crooked on his nose. She couldn't help but think he looked cute.

"Jason," she said suddenly, feeling stupid. "Can you get me to Zeus's Fist? I'm going to try to Charmspeak the mob."

She doubted he understood everything she said over the noise, but he nodded and flew her to the pile of rocks.

After yelling commands around for a while, Piper noticed the crowd begin to calm down. Once they were calm enough, Chiron asked a few senior campers to escort the Hunter to cabin 8. then he chastised the campers for their barbaric behavior.

Jason stood by her side, silently observing the people. "Thalia didn't go with the Hunters," he said. "Wanna come with me to say hi?"

Piper nodded.

Thalia, thank the gods, was in a rather good mood. She wore the common Hunters' apparel- silver camouflage pants and a matching shirt with a lightweight white coat on top. She wore black hunting boots and the silver Lieutenants' token in her hair.

"So, how's my baby brother?" she asked.

Piper found this slightly amusing because Jason looked older than Thalia.

Jason blushed slightly. "Good. You?"

"Immortality's treating me well. What's up with the campers?"

Piper sighed. "There's a serial killer loose in camp. We tried to contact you guys, but the Iris Messages wouldn't go through."

Thalia frowned. "That's convenient."

Jason nodded. "Two people have died already."

Thalia fingered an arrow in her quiver in thought. "Do the victims have any sort of link?"

Piper shook her head. "A daughter of Demeter and a son of Ares. Katie and Zeke, if you knew who they were."

"I knew Katie only casually, but she seemed nice," Thalia said softly.

"Methods were different, too," Jason added. "Both very messy though."

Thalia took the arrow out of the quiver and fingered the tip. "So I guess we'll be here for a while."

It wasn't a question.

Piper glanced up the hill. Campers were back to doing camp activities, and the Hunters were joining them. It all seemed peaceful for once. That is, until they heard the scream. Without thinking, all three of them set off running towards the cabins.

Clovis, son of Hypnos, was the next victim. His body wasn't a pretty sight. He had been killed inside of the cabin, so the possibility of the arrow through his skull ending up there by accident was ruled out.

Chiron ushered them out of the cabin and called some of Apollo's kids to retrieve the body. They carried it to the infirmary on a stretcher. It was covered by a white sheet that turned redder and redder as the walked on.

It reminded piper of the time she spilled her bowl of tomato soup on her dad's white carpeting. It had just spread and spread and there'd been nothing she could do about it. They'd gotten the stain out. She vaguely wondered how they'd remove the bloodstains.

"This isn't right," Thalia said. She looked paler than usual, and her fists were clenched.

"Of course it isn't. It's murder," Jason said.

"Yeah," Piper said, a thought occurring to her. "But that's not what she meant."

Thalia nodded in agreement. "That arrow... it was a Hunter's arrow."

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**TW999**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, y'all! Guess who didn't wait two months to update?**

**Yeah...**

**So anyway, a special thanks to all who reviewed/followed/favorited! It means more than you think it does. Really. **

**Shout outs:**

**gmythgirl223: Yeah, when I first started planning the story, I planned on killing Clovis. So when I saw the words "Clovis" and "kill" in a review, my "kill off this character" switch was turned on, and... well, you know the rest. XD Happy reading!**

**FutureFamousAuthor108: Continue I shall!**

* * *

Tyger Tyger Burning Bright

Chapter 9 - What the hammer? What the chain,

* * *

_P.o.V. - Jason_

* * *

As much as Jason loved his sister, he didn't exactly appreciate her trying to embarrass him in front of his girlfriend.

He was currently sitting on the beach by the lake, watching the cool water as it lapped up against the shore. The location was serene and peaceful, allowing him to lull himself into a false sense of security and bliss.

His mind wasn't even close to at ease, of course. It took every milligram of Jason's willpower not to think about the ongoing calamity that was currently throwing all of Camp Half-Blood into a deep pit of paranoia and grief.

He stared at the water, trying to focus on all the little movements the water made. He tried to think about happy things, like puppies and rainbows and all of the other archetypical things associated with relieving stress and anxiety, but he found himself wound up in a cycle of thought that, no matter how many strategies he tried, he couldn't escape.

First, he'd focus on not thinking about the gruesome bodies he'd seen. He'd attempt to erase every trace of the image from his mind. Then, he'd focus on not thinking about death, which was adequately difficult. Then, he'd think about his friends. Usually, this would help, but most of the recent memories he had that were associated with them involved the serial killer, so he changed his thought direction to the killer him/herself. This brought up the pictures of the corpses again, so he tried to think about Thalia which made him think of his mother who was dead.

And thus the cycle continued, always circling back to his mother.

He didn't remember much of her, as he was two when he was taken to Camp Jupiter, but the things he did remember resembled nothing of the drunken actress he was told she had been. They weren't memories so much as they were feelings of warmth and security.

This would have been a good thing if his mother hadn't turned into a Mania. She was dead now, he knew, and there was no chance that he would ever get to know who she really was, in this life or the next. From what he'd heard from Thalia, she wasn't the ideal mother; far from it.

Still though, well- it would've been nice.

Jason decided then and there that he hated circles.

With a sigh of resignation and defeat, Jason adjusted his glasses and stared out to the far part of the lake. He saw a few campers on canoes gliding across the water. The scene was peaceful, but it seemed almost taunting to Jason.

As he gazed across the shore of the lake, something caught his attention. A mound of foam seemed to be cast onto the shore. Jason got up and cautiously walked toward it. He didn't know what it could be; maybe it was nothing. But all the same, considering recent events, he decided he should take a look.

He took about five steps forward, then hesitated. He shouldn't be going towards a mysterious object alone. It was risky, and might even cost him his life if it turns out to be minacious. And yet, he kept walking as if in a trance.

He could feel his heart beating at an alarming rate in his chest, and his muscles were taut, ready to take action if a threat should arise.

As soon as Jason saw what the object was, his heart fell into his stomach.

It was a white pegasus.

Or, at least it was.

Now, it was mostly red with a few white spots.

It was most certainly dead and had been for a while. Flies swarmed around it, and it gave off an unpleasant odor that made Jason gag. He felt sick. Slowly, he backed away from it- no, _her. _There was a white foal off to the side, staring at him with wide, bright eyes.

"Oh, gods..." Jason muttered to nobody in particular.

He considered his course of action. He couldn't leave the pegasi there; it wasn't right. But then again, he didn't want to leave. The animal had been killed by either a monster or an especially sick person. Somehow, he hoped it was the former. Also, he couldn't leave the foal alone there.

"Okay," he said. He walked over to the water and made a rainbow, then threw in a golden drachma. "O Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering; Show me Piper McLean in the Aphrodite cabin."

Piper's face appeared in the shimmering mist, and Jason couldn't help but smile. Apparently, though, it came across as a grimace.

"Jason? What's wrong."

It wasn't a question.

"Hey, Pipes," he said. "I'm at the lake, and there's a dead pegasus here and a foal. Can you come?"

"What are you doing there alone?"

Styx. He'd hoped she wouldn't say anything.

"I was hoping to clear my mind..."

Piper nodded in understanding. "Far side of the lake?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in a minute. See ya."

The connection disconnected.

Running his hand through his hair, Jason walked back over to the mother pegasus. He took some of the lake water and began to wash off the blood. When he saw the wounds, his heart must have stopped beating altogether. A monster hadn't done this, but whoever had could be classified as one.

Three words were carved into the equine's flesh:

_I AM WATCHING._

Questions flew through Jason's mind. How had the killer known someone would find the pegasus? Why did they want to send this particular message? Who could do such a sadistic thing?

"Jason?"

He turned to see Piper walking toward him. "You need to see this," he said. Something in his voice must have told her that something was wrong because she all but sprinted to the dead animal.

As soon as she saw it, she made a choking sound. Remembering why she was a vegetarian, Jason instantly felt guilty.

"This... is bad," Piper said.

Jason nodded. "There's a foal, too," he said, pointing to the animal. Piper nodded.

"We should bring him to camp and tell Chiron. He should know. What do you think it means?"

Jason sighed. "We'll bring him back and tell Chiron. Yeah, that sounds good. The message... well, I don't know. I really don't know."

"We'd better find out soon," Piper said. "Or we're dead."

Sometimes Jason hated how his girlfriend was (almost) always right.

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**So, what did you think? Feel free to review! **

**TW999**


	10. Chapter 10

***Climbs out of metaphorical grave* Hello all! As it turns out, I'm not dead!**

**A special thanks to all who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It means heaps. You have no idea. If you like, let me know what you think at the end of the chapter.**

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_Tyger Tyger Burning Bright - Chapter 10_

_In what furnace was thy brain?_

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P.o.V. - Annabeth

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When Piper and Jason had shown them their gruesome discovery, she'd been appalled. It was one thing to go after demigods; monsters and the like did it continually. But to go after a magnificent creature- a mother, none the less, was simply cruel.

The orphaned foal had instantly taken a liking to Percy (no surprise there) and followed him around like a puppy. Annabeth could tell he enjoyed it. It was good to see him being his old carefree self again, even if it wasn't all the time.

Leo had been the one to name it, despite its obvious favoritism, however.

She supposed "Seguir" had a certain ring to it. Maybe.

"It means 'follow' in Spanish," Leo had said. "Because he follows Percy everywhere. Get it?"

They had decided to go with it. Annabeth supposed it was a decent name.

Kind of.

Maybe.

Okay, maybe the could have come up with something better. But alas, there were bigger things to worry about.

She sat with Percy and Piper on the porch of the Big House, thinking. Piper was studying _Katropis _absently, and Percy and Seguir were playing fetch with one of Percy's socks.

"Have you seen anything?" Annabeth asked. The question was meant for Piper, but Percy was the one who answered.

"No."

Piper rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing but the usual. It's... really frustrating. I wish we could actually, you know, _do_ something. People are dying. Its..."

She trailed off. Annabeth could empathize.

Percy sighed, took the sock from Seguir's mouth, and threw it. The tiny pegasi ran off to get it. "Well we are doing something, right? The trap. If it works, then the problem's solved."

Annabeth nodded, kicking the heel of her shoe against her chair. She didn't have the heart to tell him that the killer probably saw the trap coming.

"When will that take place?" Piper asked.

Annabeth sighed. "One of these nights. Can't say too much."

Piper nodded in understanding and Percy threw the sock again.

Looking out over Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth couldn't help but feel a sense of defensiveness over it. It was her home. Whoever was destroying, albeit connivingly, would pay with their life. She'd see to it personally.

*Time skip to Dinner*

Despite how good the food was, she wasn't hungry. And that really sucked, because they were serving one of her favorite meals.

A dryad offered her another slice of brisket, but she politely refused. It just didn't seem as appetizing as it normally did.

"You okay, Annie?" Percy asked.

"Don't call me Annie," She snapped by default. Then, "Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine. There's just a lot on my mind."

Thalia, who was sitting at their table grunted in agreement. "Yeah, I get it. It's the stress. ou should make sure you get some sleep."

Jason sighed. "Sleep would be nice. It's been hard recently, though."

Piper nodded in agreement but said nothing due to her mouthful of food.

One of the Hunters ran over and whispered something in Thalia's ear. She instantly paled. "Get one of the Apollo kids to Table 8. Now." Then she got up and ran off.

Annabeth got up before anyone else had the chance to and sprinted to the table.

"One of you, come with me to table 8. Now."

Will Solace got up and ran over with her to where the Hunters were.

A ginger-haired girl was on the ground foaming at the mouth. She didn't seem to be breathing, was very stiff, and had her eyes open wide. Annabeth knew what Will would say before he had the chance to look up.

"Cyanide poisoning. I need ambrosia and nectar and some other supplies. Now. Or she'll die."

"What do you need?" Annabeth asked.

"Syringe, hypodermic needle, rubbing alcohol, iodine, and sodium thiosulfate. It should be labeled. Hurry."

Annabeth ran off towards the infirmary as fast as she could.

She ran into the doorway and winced as pain tore through her shoulder, but kept going nonetheless. She found the supplies easily; the Apollo kids kept the infirmary very sterile and tidy. With the supplies held in her arms, she ran off towards the pavilion again.

Will took the supplies without a word and quickly administered the antidote. Feeling for a pulse, he shook his head.

"We're too late. I knew it was a long shot. I am so, so sorry."

Annabeth's heart dropped into her stomach. Everyone else had noticed the commotion and were starting to panic. She walked over to Thalia.

"What was her name?" she asked.

"Sandra," Thalia said quietly. "I'll have to tell her brother. Gods. She was only in the Hunt for two weeks."

Annabeth could feel herself starting to cry, but no tears came. She was beyond pissed now.

"We have to find the killer," she said to no one in particular. "We _will_ find the killer, and make them pay.

She could see all of the campers and Hunters alike nodding in agreement, but in the shadow of her mind she heard a whisper singing in a childish tone of voice: _No you won't!_

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**Sorry about the length of this one. I have a problem with making chapters too short. **

**If you have any thoughts, please leave a review.**

**Until next time,**

**TW999**


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